The present invention is directed to a recreational unit for a vehicle bed, and more particularly, to a recreational unit having extendable cantilever outrigger units and a tent frame having a portion mounted perpendicular to the tailgate so that the tent is deployed automatically when the tailgate is lowered.
Various types of vehicle recreational units have been deployed in the prior art. Typically, these units are adapted to fit into the bed of a truck or a trailer. Many of these recreational units include lateral platforms or width extensions to increase the size of the unit. Often times these extensions require special support devices to be attached to the vehicle or trailer. In addition, many units have tents or other deployable coverings. The tents require framework to hold them rigid and some mechanism by which the tent and framework can be erected.
Some examples of prior art relating to recreational units include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,381,994; 3,941,414; 3,420,567; 4,113,301; and 3,175,857. The first four listed patents disclose camping trailers with lateral extensions. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 3,381,994 which discloses a tent camper trailer. The trailer contains a longitudinal extension that slides out when deployed. Slidably mounted on the longitudinal extension are two lateral extensions. The trailer is covered by a tent mounted on a foldable, manually raised, frame. When extended, the two lateral extensions are suspended from the tent frame by means of attachment to the tent. When in the storage mode, the camper trailer reduces to a smaller volume.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,857 shows a typical truck camper tent, rather than a camping trailer to be pulled by a vehicle, that folds into the bed of a truck. To deploy the tent the rear and front tent frames are raised manually.
One of the problems encountered in using recreational vehicle units of the prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,857, is that the truck or trailer usually must be modified extensively to receive the unit. Such modifications include additional supports for lateral extensions of the unit, permanent mounting of tent frames, and installation of beds, stoves or other such equipment in the camping vehicle. Often times a whole trailer must be permanently modified, diminishing its usefulness. A further problem encountered with the prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,857, is that camping unit tents must be manually deployed, making them unappealing, inconvenient and time-consuming. Other problems involved with the prior art recreational units include expenses incurred by making extensive modifications to the vehicle to adapt it to camping needs. Weight is also a problem because the large amounts of required equipment tend to increase the weight, especially if a separate trailer is used, thereby increasing fuel consumption. A final problem encountered is the bulkiness of camping equipment. Tents, frames, and other equipment take up large amounts of space, causing vision problems for the driver of the vehicle. Large, bulky trucks or trailers filled with camping equipment are also hard to control at higher speeds and in windy conditions.